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Anxiety Blogs

I was asked once by a Japanese ELL (English Language Learner) how she could improve her speaking. I told her that if you want to improve then you need to speak! Talk to everyone. Don't worry if you screw up or if your pronunciation isn't perfect. The only way to become better at speaking a language, and to gain confidence, is to practice.
How does an ELL improve their speaking when they are living in a peripherary country? A country where the language is not spoken as an official language?
That can be a bit more tricky, but immersion is not a guarantee that an ELL will gain proficiency in a language either. I recommend finding an app or make an online friend that will give you opportunities to practice speaking.
I myself am a language learner. I would like to go back to Japan and teach, but I would like to improve my speaking skills before I go. I like using an app called Mango Languages. ...
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I used to ask myself that all the time when I was growing up. I was a horrible student all the way into the second semester of my 10th grade year! I had a difficult time concentrating in school and to be honest, there were just more important things going on in my life at the time. I have always struggled with weight issues and being bullied, teased and tormented in school was a daily battle. It's hard to concentrate on learning when survival is your priority and invisibility is your dream. I did well in high school though, and eventually graduated college with a degree in Criminal Justice.
What changed? I got involved. I had a teacher that recognized a potential in me and fostered that by inviting me to step outside my comfort zone and challenge myself. I LOVED sports. I know, sounds silly coming from the fat kid huh? I did though. I loved baseball, hockey and football the most and my teacher encouraged...
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Imagine the audience in their underwear!
This is an old tip from who-knows-where. Has it ever helped reduce your public speaking anxiety? I'm going to take a wild guess and say your answer is "no". If you're happy with this underwear envisioning tip, then carry on. If you feel you need something more to help with your public speaking anxiety, read on!
Public speaking can be downright terrifying for many people. But here's the good part: it doesn't have to be. By using at least one of the tips below, you can make your presentation less nerve wracking and more enjoyable than you ever thought possible. So without further ado, here are a few tips to help with your next presentation:
Look at the tops of their heads
Now you might be thinking "aren't you supposed to give people direct eye contact or they might think you're lying?" Well, yes that's true. However, in a presentation setting, you are at the front of the...
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Let me guess… the question that is currently floating through your brain is as follows: what the heck is “math anxiety?” While it may sound bizarre and made up, math anxiety is an actual condition that is quite common amongst students. It is similar to other sorts of anxiety or fear a person might encounter when doing something that is personally terrifying such as public speaking, interacting with strangers, or being around scary animals. The symbols and the operations can feel overwhelming for some, and that can trigger a subsequent anxiety reaction that completely stifles one’s brain and prevents a person from properly absorbing any material.
The Cause Of Math Anxiety
Math anxiety is a learned reaction. Students who have negative experiences with math early on tend to have bad emotions and limiting beliefs tied to mathematics. Once these reactions and beliefs are established, students will subconsciously return to those bad feelings whenever mathematics is brought...
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"Girls often believe themselves to be bad at math, in accordance with gender stereotyping, and often experience high levels of anxiety about the subject. That anxiety appears to be driven by social influences, and may be vanishing in early education. Still, identifying its causes could help eliminate it at later stages of education, and prevent it from making a reappearance in young girls.
A new study suggests that elementary school may be a breeding ground for this anxiety. The study found that when elementary school teachers, who are primarily female, displayed a high level of anxiety about math, that skittishness was transmitted to their female students. Those students who spent a year with a math-phobic teacher displayed lower math achievement and an increased belief in stereotypes about female mathematical ability...
...Seeing a math-anxious woman encouraged female students to buy into the stereotype that girls were unskilled at math, thereby allowing...
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Anxiety is naturally occurring and an inexhaustible part of being human. It's more or less like the hair on our heads, because just as with anxiety, it too has to be managed. The reason for this is essentially because any form of anxiety or stress produces subtle forms of paralysis. Not physical paralysis per say, but feeling overwhelmed can stop anyone from pursuing a dream right in its tracks. This undermines success and it also undermines one's ability to lead one's own life with confidence.
Never was this more apparent in my life than when I started to have what is called the "yips." The "yips" occurs when a baseball player cannot throw the baseball accurately. I developed the "yips" in high school and carried it with me for many years. Although I did improve over time, I knew that my condition was not fully healed, because I was not throwing the baseball with the same confidence I had before the onset of this condition. However, I was able to...
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The spring semester is now here which means TAKS testing is around the corner. Test anxiety, absences, illnesses, and poor study habits can cause a student to become stressed out! I have a few ways that can relieve this stress and help make the rest of the school year enjoyable no matter what level!
Here are just a few examples:
**Teaching students to eat and sleep well
**Exercise
**Have enjoyable lessons
**Find their learning style and needs
**Have a schedule, stay on task, and look at the "big picture"
**Have quality time with parents and family
**Find "teachable moments"... grocery shopping, counting money, reading newspapers or magazines, enjoy daily reading
Do you have any ideas that you can share with me that have worked for you? I would love to hear back :)